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kidhash posted:Seconding this. Oyster is the cheapest way to use the transport network in London. It's a card that you touch on sensors at the beginning and end of your journey (on tubes and trains) and just at the beginning (on buses). You can buy them from Heathrow, and it's the first thing you should get. You can reload them with cash or from a credit card. Yeah just charge them up at any tube / DLR / national rail station, or any shop that has the blue Oyster logo in their window. Or on their website. Plenty of options and they take all debit/credit cards.
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Sep 7, 2010 12:13
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Alright, geuss I'll just man the gently caress up and learn how to use the underground. We're only there 4 days and thought we could get away with taxis but they do seem to be expensive. So oyster card and a good map of the underground it is. Thanks.
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Sep 7, 2010 15:45
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Nosaj posted:Alright, geuss I'll just man the gently caress up and learn how to use the underground. We're only there 4 days and thought we could get away with taxis but they do seem to be expensive. So oyster card and a good map of the underground it is. Thanks. Maps are free to pick up at any station and hang absolutely everywhere in the stations. You'll be fine.
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Sep 7, 2010 16:33
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Nosaj posted:Alright, geuss I'll just man the gently caress up and learn how to use the underground. We're only there 4 days and thought we could get away with taxis but they do seem to be expensive. So oyster card and a good map of the underground it is. Thanks. Using the tube is easy. If my 60 year old mum who doesn't speak a word of english can get around London all by herself without a problem, you can too.
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Sep 7, 2010 17:38
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Also, you could always walk. Central London is a lot smaller than most people think. To walk from Russell Square to Picadilly Circus will probably take you 20 minutes. It's about 10 minutes from Russell Square to Covent Garden. It is certainly worth your while to walk from Russell Square to Westminster and then visit the London Eye.
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Sep 7, 2010 18:10
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Cultural Imperial posted:Also, you could always walk. Central London is a lot smaller than most people think. To walk from Russell Square to Picadilly Circus will probably take you 20 minutes. It's about 10 minutes from Russell Square to Covent Garden. It is certainly worth your while to walk from Russell Square to Westminster and then visit the London Eye. This is true up to a certain point. Chelsea and Shoreditch are both considered central London though and it would take you absolutely ages to walk that all the way west to east.
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Sep 7, 2010 18:51
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Regarding this map http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf How do you tell where it stops? Is it the little white circles? or the tinier colored protrusions? or both? Sorry if this is a stupid question but I cant tell from their legend. I'm guessing the white circles are where stuff intersects or overlaps? Like if I took the train south from Russell square to Leicester square I can hop off there or is it only a place where tube tracks intersect? Nosaj fucked around with this message at 19:04 on Sep 7, 2010 |
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Sep 7, 2010 19:02
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Nosaj posted:Regarding this map http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/standard-tube-map.pdf The circles are stations that you can change to different lines. The little notches are just stations. The tube is a little daunting to navigate at first so ask the grumpy tfl shithead for advice if you're unsure. Try not to take the tube during rush hour. No really, don't do it. edit: y'know, i think i might have that wrong....let me check. namaste friends fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Sep 7, 2010 |
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Sep 7, 2010 19:04
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Don't take the tube from Russell Square to Leicester Square. You are wasting money.
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Sep 7, 2010 19:05
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Cultural Imperial posted:The circles are stations that you can change to different lines. The little notches are just stations. Thanks a bunch. Also the guy above me would you care to elaborate? Its close enough to walk to? is that what you're getting at? So we'd just walk to leicester square station and then take that to whatever destination we needed to get to? Its hard to tell how close things are walking distance from that map. Nosaj fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Sep 7, 2010 |
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Sep 7, 2010 19:06
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Nosaj posted:Thanks a bunch. Google maps has a good tube overlay so you can judge better. What I meant was, if you're planning to go to Leicester Square to sightsee, it's more worthwhile to walk there. If you're planning to take the tube to Brixton to hang out, by all means jump on at Russell Square. eg: http://goo.gl/maps/d9Td
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Sep 7, 2010 19:11
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Cultural Imperial posted:Google maps has a good tube overlay so you can judge better. What I meant was, if you're planning to go to Leicester Square to sightsee, it's more worthwhile to walk there. If you're planning to take the tube to Brixton to hang out, by all means jump on at Russell Square. Thanks, getting a handle on it slowly but surely. We will defintely be walking if we're just going sightseeing 15-20 minutes away from the hotel but if we need to get a connecting tube from Leicester we'll probably save our fat out of shape legs the walk and save the time by paying for a quick tube ride. We're defintely going to look into oyster cards since apparently they are in the 15-30 lb range for a week or so from what I've been quickly reading. Seems like a great way to save money. Thanks again.
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Sep 7, 2010 19:17
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http://travel.ciao.co.uk/Getting_around_in_London_by_tube__Review_5407269quote:
This now makes sense now that I think about it. Only the District Line stops at Ravenscourt Park but the Picadilly Line runs right next to the train on the same route. quote:
I can't emphasize this enough. The tube has hundreds of people walking through really tight confined spaces. Londoners are loving cunts so don't stand in their way. If you're lost, try to stand to the side. Also, make sure you have your oyster card out well in advance before you swipe out the turnstile. Some stations to avoid: Victoria, Bank, King's Cross, Waterloo oh what the gently caress...pretty much any station which services 3 or more different lines. You might want to look into this: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx It's a new bike rental thingy like they have in Paris. You have to register in advance and you can't just walk up to the thing. I've never used it because I'll be damned before I ever loving bike in London.
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Sep 7, 2010 19:22
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Nosaj posted:Thanks, getting a handle on it slowly but surely. We will defintely be walking if we're just going sightseeing 15-20 minutes away from the hotel but if we need to get a connecting tube from Leicester we'll probably save our fat out of shape legs the walk and save the time by paying for a quick tube ride. Don't type "lb"  . I don't recommend taking public transport without an oyster card at all! It's definitely the cheapest, and more importantly fastest way to take the tube/bus. You do not want to be fumbling around for change. The british have this irrational dislike for americans and cherish the opportunity to berate "DUMB FOOKIN YANKS".
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Sep 7, 2010 19:26
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Cultural Imperial posted:Don't type "lb" Haha we're not American (Canadian) but will most likely be confused for them. Me and the mrs have the plainest most unassuming accents ever. And ya it felt weird typing lb lol sorry about that.
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Sep 7, 2010 19:27
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Nosaj posted:Haha we're not American (Canadian) but will most likely be confused for them. Me and the mrs have the plainest most unassuming accents ever. And ya it felt weird typing lb lol sorry about that. I'm also Canadian and I get "DUMB FOOKIN YANK" comments all the time. ugh Since you're around Russell Square, I recommend the following places to eat: Raavi Kebab http://goo.gl/maps/lN41 It's a good cheap Pakistani Karahi/BBQ restaurant. When I say cheap, dinner for two will run you around 15 to 20 GBP which, trust me on this, is cheap by London standards. The Easton http://goo.gl/maps/8Lr4 One of the better 'gastro' pubs I've been to. Probably around 30 GBP for two, depending on how much you drink. British food is as bad as you may have heard. Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, all those fuckers are like unicorns. The vast majority of restaurants are absolute poo poo. Beigle Bake http://goo.gl/maps/Bj9P If you're hanging around Brick Lane (stay away from the curry there, it's expensive and not that great for the price) and you want something cheap to eat, absolutely hit this place up. Their specialty is smoked meat bagles except they call it 'salt beef' in this country. 8 GBP for two. There's nowhere to sit as it's strictly a cash and carry place. If you want more curry, go here: http://goo.gl/maps/Rwvc Tayyab's is where I take all my friends and family when they come and visit. Expect to stand in line for a while if you go after 6pm. Bring your own booze. The best part about all these muslim curry places is that they don't serve booze and they won't hold it against you if you bring your own. After stuffing your face, go for a walk to Tower of London. The bill will probably run you 30 GBP for two. Chinese food is relatviely cheap but I only really go to two places in Chinatown in Leicester Square: C&R Cafe http://goo.gl/maps/6ekB HK Diner http://goo.gl/maps/YCQu I'm lazy and unadventurous when it comes to trying to new chinese restaurants. C&R is malaysian chinese. Both places shouldn't run you more than 20 GBP for two. PLACES NOT TO EAT As I was saying, food in the UK blows however there are a couple places you should absolutely loving avoid. THE TATE MODERN CAFE - holy poo poo this place is the loving shits MEAT AND WINE CO - more like poo poo and whine co KEBAB SHOPS - in general stay away. you don't want CSIS questioning you for terrorist activities on the way home do you
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Sep 7, 2010 19:44
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Cultural Imperial posted:Funny little rant Just ignore all this nonsense. England, like any Western country in the world, has some incredible places to eat. It also has some really poo poo places to eat. Try checking TripAdvisor or something which isn't your guidebook for food recommendations. The Oyster card has a daily cap on it, so you just use it as much as you like, and once you've made about £6 worth of journeys (it varies depending on how many zones you go into), it won't charge you any more for the day. If you're only there for 4 days then this is the cheapest thing to do, as a weekly travelcard will be more expensive. Just put £25 on each card when you arrive, then you shouldn't have to worry. You might get charged £3 refundable-deposit (just turn the card in before you fly home to get it back), although a friend of mine recently bought a card and wasn't charged it so ymmv. As someone said earlier, a white dot signifies somewhere you can change lines and a protrusion is a stop.
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Sep 7, 2010 20:47
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Cultural Imperial posted:I can't emphasize this enough. The tube has hundreds of people walking through really tight confined spaces. Londoners are loving cunts so don't stand in their way. If you're lost, try to stand to the side. Also, make sure you have your oyster card out well in advance before you swipe out the turnstile. I've been to London twice and honestly I haven't seen much difference between the tube and any other underground I've used (Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, NY...). The only thing I ever had to mind was to keep to the right on the escalator so that people in a hurry can move past me. Was it even in London or NY I don't recall... Anyhow why are you so determined to scare the guy?
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Sep 8, 2010 00:57
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You can get some good discounts (2 for 1) for a lot of London attractions here: http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types/2for1london.aspx A lot of the stuff is crap but they have the Tower of London, London Eye and London Walks (I really enjoyed the Tower and the London Walks - I hear the Eye is pretty cool too). You can save a good amount of money with these deals. [EDIT] - If you use this great advice to buy tickets to Madame Tussauds I swear I will fly to London and punch you in your stupid Canadian face. Omits-Bagels fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Sep 8, 2010 |
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Sep 8, 2010 01:11
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Omits-Bagels posted:You can get some good discounts (2 for 1) for a lot of London attractions here: Dont worry I was told already not to waste my money on that (we were totally going to tho!). Saved myself a punch in the face there. As it stands now we have the Zoo, Aquarium, Tower of London, Shakespeare globe theatre, lion king at lyceum theatre, British Museum, Natural history museum planned into our trip. Ive been reading good things about the London Eye tho so we're probably going to look into that as well. Nosaj fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Sep 8, 2010 |
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Sep 8, 2010 05:18
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Nosaj posted:Dont worry I was told already not to waste my money on that (we were totally going to tho!). Saved myself a punch in the face there. Do a walk from London Walks. http://www.walks.com/ (their site is a little confusing/disorganized) They have multiple walks based on different subjects and I wish I would have gone on multiple walks. You'll learn a lot of interesting stuff that you would have never learned on your own. A lot of the walks are at night so you won't have to miss a museum/attraction that is only open during the day. Their Jack the Ripper guide is supposedly the leading expert on Jack and his antics. It is cheap too.
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Sep 8, 2010 05:52
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So I am flying to Vienna in 3 hours, anyone have any suggestions of places to see and eat at? How about nightlife? Additionally, with another London question. I have a 6 hour layover in Heathrow. Is that enough time to go downtown for an hour and look around and then get back? Its on a Tuesday. Cheesemaster200 fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Sep 9, 2010 |
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Sep 9, 2010 20:07
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Cheesemaster200 posted:So I am flying to Vienna in 3 hours, anyone have any suggestions of places to see and eat at? How about nightlife?
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Sep 9, 2010 20:20
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Cheesemaster200 posted:So I am flying to Vienna in 3 hours, anyone have any suggestions of places to see and eat at? How about nightlife? You can take the Heathrow Express which is 15 minutes to Paddington. From there you can see most of Central London by tube but beware, tube delays are loving *epic*. Don't be too cavalier about catching your connecting flight. From Paddington I'd recommend taking the tube to Trafalgar Square (take the circle line to warren street and then the northern line to charing cross). One more thing, the Heathrow Express is 32 GBP round trip.
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Sep 9, 2010 20:50
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Cheesemaster200 posted:So I am flying to Vienna in 3 hours, anyone have any suggestions of places to see and eat at? How about nightlife? If you're in Vienna for more than a little bit, do yourself a favour and take a day-trip to Melk. The monastery is pretty awesome, and Heuringers (basically Viennese wine bars with all sorts of awesome little snacks to go along with your drinks) are amazing so long as you're outside of the fakey ones in Vienna proper.
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Sep 9, 2010 21:54
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Cultural Imperial posted:One more thing, the Heathrow Express is 32 GBP round trip. Yeah and it's still not central London, it's Paddington. Total journey time wouldn't be more than 15 minutes faster each way compared to the tube. Tube won't cost more than 8 pounds max. (also Circle line doesn't go to Warren Street) You'd just take the Bakerloo down from Paddington if you were heading for Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross station)
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Sep 10, 2010 10:30
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My brother is an idiot. He has a few days off in october and wants to got to London. He lives 10 minutes from an airport with daily air berlin conections to London. That's a max of 3 hours from couch to central london. What does he do? Books a bus tour (at least 10 hours).
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Sep 10, 2010 17:54
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elwood posted:My brother is an idiot. He has a few days off in october and wants to got to London. He lives 10 minutes from an airport with daily air berlin conections to London. That's a max of 3 hours from couch to central london. What does he do? Books a bus tour (at least 10 hours). Can he choose another airline that flies into London City Airport? It's a pain in the rear end to travel to Stansted. I'd recommend the Tower of London and the British Museum.
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Sep 11, 2010 09:02
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poo poo, I'm going to be in London - where I'm planning to settle down and live for a while - way ahead of schedule. What's a good hostel or lodging house or something where me and my friend can stay cheaply for however long it takes us to sort out a place to leave? edit: I mean live. Not leave. freebooter fucked around with this message at 13:30 on Sep 11, 2010 |
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Sep 11, 2010 13:28
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Cultural Imperial posted:Can he choose another airline that flies into London City Airport? It's a pain in the rear end to travel to Stansted. I'd recommend the Tower of London and the British Museum. From our local airport? No. I've done the Stansted thing a few times and it's not that bad. I can live with the Stansted Express when on the other end I can leave home half an hour before boarding and still make my flight.
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Sep 11, 2010 13:59
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Is Stansted that bad? I live in Naples and was planning to catch EasyJet to Stansted to see some part of the UK for my Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
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Sep 11, 2010 14:42
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DownByTheWooter posted:Is Stansted that bad? I live in Naples and was planning to catch EasyJet to Stansted to see some part of the UK for my Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
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Sep 11, 2010 16:11
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I've heard that EasyJet flights, at least the really cheap ones, take off at ungodly early hours. This forces you to sleep overnight at Stansted in order to make the flight as the trains and tube don't open until 5am. I can't confirm this though.
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Sep 11, 2010 20:48
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Cultural Imperial posted:I've heard that EasyJet flights, at least the really cheap ones, take off at ungodly early hours. This forces you to sleep overnight at Stansted in order to make the flight as the trains and tube don't open until 5am. I can't confirm this though. It's not that bad. I've taken a lot of early Ryanair flights and the first train runs at 4.30 I believe, which let's you catch a 6AM flight. There's also tons of night buses from all over London to take you there in the middle of the night. Gotta love the 24/7 trains to Luton airport, though.
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Sep 11, 2010 22:59
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Note for anyone who's getting the X days in X months Eurail pass, if you don't fill out the day and your planned destination in advance, some of the ticket checkers get pissed. Especially in Belgium.
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Sep 13, 2010 18:43
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Well, looks like I'm flying into Bremen in two weeks. My friend convinced me to go with him and another one of our crew. None of us speak a word of German and we have no real plan other than "go to Germany." Is this a setup for a fantastic adventure or utter disaster? EDIT: Mostly I'm worried about communication. Will we be able to muddle through with English and a phrasebook alright?
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Sep 17, 2010 21:22
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LordWeird posted:Well, looks like I'm flying into Bremen in two weeks. My friend convinced me to go with him and another one of our crew. None of us speak a word of German and we have no real plan other than "go to Germany." Is this a setup for a fantastic adventure or utter disaster? From my experience, Germans are really friendly people (as opposed to the english or french). I was in the countryside and spoke absolutley no German and it was a pain in the rear end. Since you're going to be in the city, I think you'll be fine.
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Sep 17, 2010 21:45
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Younger Germans and/or people who are remotely likely to deal with tourists (hoteliers, cops, shop attendents etc.) all seem to speak good English. Apart from that, it's the first time I've ever spoken to white people who don't understand me and it's quite bizarre. But yeah you'll be fine.
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Sep 18, 2010 12:07
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LordWeird posted:EDIT: Mostly I'm worried about communication. Will we be able to muddle through with English and a phrasebook alright? Anyone under 40 should at least be able to hold a simple conversation.
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Sep 18, 2010 14:33
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LordWeird posted:Well, looks like I'm flying into Bremen in two weeks. My friend convinced me to go with him and another one of our crew. None of us speak a word of German and we have no real plan other than "go to Germany." Is this a setup for a fantastic adventure or utter disaster? We saved their asses in WWII, they should at least know a little english. You should be fine. Like stated above, most younger people have been learning English since grade school. Just say "moo" for beef and flap your arms like a chicken if you want chicken.
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Sep 18, 2010 17:08
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